The meaning is that nothing of the servants’ deeds escapes Him, just as nothing escapes one who lies in wait.

Al-Suddi said: “Allah has stationed the Fire along their path, until it destroys them.”

“As for man, when his Lord tests him and is generous to him and grants him favor, he says, ‘My Lord has honored me.’ But when He tests him by restricting his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’ No indeed! Rather, you do not honor the orphan, nor do you urge one another to feed the poor.”

“As for man, when his Lord tests him”: that is, tries him. “His Lord,” by means of a blessing; “and is generous to him,” with wealth; “and grants him favor,” by giving him abundance. Thus he says, “My Lord has honored me,” by what He has given me.

“But when He tests him,” with poverty, “and restricts his provision”: Abu Ja‘far and Ibn ‘Amir recited it as “fa-qaddara,” with the dāl doubled, while the others recited it without doubling. Both are accepted linguistic forms, meaning that He constricted his provision. It was also said that “qaddara” means to stint, giving him only as much as suffices him. Thus he says, “My Lord has humiliated me,” that is, He has debased me through poverty.

This refers to the disbeliever, for in his view honor and humiliation depend upon the abundance or scarcity of wealth and one’s share of this worldly life. Al-Kalbi and Muqatil said: It was revealed concerning Umayyah ibn Khalaf al-Jumahi, the disbeliever. Allah therefore refuted the one who imagines that ample provision is an honor and that poverty is a humiliation. He said, “No indeed!” I did not test him with wealth because of his honor, nor did I test him with poverty because of his insignificance. Thus He informed us that honor and humiliation do not revolve around wealth and ample provision. Rather, poverty and wealth are according to His decree: He grants abundance to the disbeliever not because of his honor, and He restricts the believer not because of his insignificance. He honors a person only through his obedience to Him, and humiliates him through his disobedience to Him.

The reciters of the Hijaz and Basra recited “has honored me” and “has humiliated me” with the final first-person possessive letter retained in connected recitation. Ibn Kathir and Ya‘qub also retained it when pausing, whereas the others omitted it both in connected recitation and when pausing.

“Rather, you do not honor the orphan.” The reciters of Basra read “they honor,” “they urge,” “they consume,” and “they love,” using the third-person form in each case; the others read them in the second-person form. “You do not honor the orphan” means that you do not treat him kindly. It was also said: You do not give him his due.

Muqatil said: Qudamah ibn Maz‘un was an orphan under the guardianship of Umayyah ibn Khalaf, who withheld him from his due.

“Nor do you urge one another to feed the poor,” meaning, you do not command that he be fed. Abu Ja‘far and the reciters of Kufa recited it as “taḥāḍḍūna,” with an a sound after the ḥā’, meaning that you do not urge one another to do so (1).